Govt asks CJP to resign over ‘controversial’ decisions

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing squabble between the government and Pakistan’s Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial appeared to have reached a dead end, as the former has asked the latter to resign over “controversial” decisions he made while directing the electoral body to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

In a stinging news conference against the chief justice and two other judges, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb demanded that the chief justice resign because his position has become divisive, particularly in light of Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah’s note in the Punjab poll case.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif accused the chief justice of pushing the agenda of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and demanded his resignation.

In a tweet, the deposed prime minister stated that courts usually pull nations out of crises rather than pushing them into them. He also questioned the CJP’s authority to impose a minority judgement on a majority decision.

While calling for the chief justice’s resignation, Nawaz wrote that Justice Bandial, who is “pushing the agenda of the PTI while insulting his position as well as the constitution,” should resign immediately rather than causing further harm.

Also Read: Elections in Punjab to held on May 14 as SC declares ECP’s decision unconstitutional 

During the news conference, the government’s spokesperson stated that Justice Minallah’s decision has called the judicial process into question, stating that a three-member bench led by the CJP was formed on the petition that had already been dismissed by four judges.

The information minister questioned why the bench was formed and why a decision was reached when there was no petition before the court, asking how people could accept a decision that the majority of judges do not accept.

The minister reiterated that political parties do not avoid elections and emphasised that the Punjab polls case issue has expanded beyond elections to include “bench fixing,” among other things.

Also Read: ECP’s polls delaying decision ‘unconstitutional’: SC

Marriyum questioned who would believe a decision if the constitutional crisis was caused by the Supreme Court itself. “Abuse of power and arbitrary interpretation of the Constitution are unacceptable,” she stated.

Regarding court proceedings, she stated that while lawyers from all political parties were present before the Supreme Court, they were not heard, and that only those who had petitioned were heard. “How come these 13 parties were not heard?” she wondered.

The government’s demand of the CJP’s resignation has come on the heels of the National Assembly (NA) passing a resolution declaring that the “parliament rejects” a recent “minority” judgment of the apex court directing to hold polls in Punjab on May 14; bars the prime minister and the federal cabinet from implementing it; and urges the top court to form a full court to review the “rewriting” of the constitution under Article 63-A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The lower house of the parliament, while expressing concern on the undue judicial interference in political matters, said that the recent judgment of the apex court was creating political instability in the country and paving the way for the division of the federating units. For bringing political and economic stability to the country, the ruling coalition’s resolution stated, the House considers that holding general elections at the same time throughout the country is the solution to all the prevailing problems.